OHIO ROLLER DERBY GOES 2-0 OVER ITHACA LEAGUE OF WOMEN ROLLERS
In their first-ever matchup against the Ithaca League of Women Rollers, Ohio Roller Derby posted back-to-back wins, bringing the season record to 2-0 for both the All Stars and Gang Green.
(31) OHIO ALL STARS FLATTEN (77) ITHACA SUFFERJETS, 312-59
Riding the momentum from their victorious home season opener two weeks ago, Ohio Roller Derby’s All Stars looked to clinch another win against Ithaca’s SufferJets, and was able to do just that by locking down defense and obtaining 67% of lead jammer statuses for the game.
The first two jams would prove to be the closest of the game, as The Smacktivist gave Ohio a quick 4-0 lead that was immediately answered by 3 points from Ithaca jammer Rainbow Might. A skating out of bounds penalty on the Ithaca jammer in jam 3 gave Ohio their first power jam of the game, which Blitz Lemon used to put up 10 uncontested points. OHRD’s defensive core thwarted all scoring attempts by Ithaca for the next 7 minutes of gameplay while The Smacktivist, Lora “Outa My” Wayman, and Zee “Loraine Acid” Gulertekin widened Ohio’s lead by an additional 15 points. Ithaca quickly snagged lead jammer status in jam 8, hoping to close the gap, but a back block penalty on their jammer gave Lora “Outa My” Wayman plenty of space to rack up another 19 points for the Ohio team. By halfway through the first period, OHRD held a 63-17 lead; The Smacktivist breezed into lead status while Chainsaw & Burnadeath prevented Ithaca jammer Jagger from making her initial pass for a full lap and a half. Unable to make much progress against Ohio’s defense, Ithaca jammers began utilizing star passes when they could, but were often lapped by Ohio jammers. Kitty Liquorbottom’s blocking versatility shone in jam 20 as she played offense for Lora “Outa My” Wayman while simultaneously defending against Jagger, who was recycled to the rear of the pack multiple times by Stevie Brown while Wayman easily shook off blocking efforts for an 18-0 jam. Zee “Loraine Acid” Gulertekin followed up by snagging lead and another 9 points to bring Ohio’s total to 105, while Ithaca spent 10 scoreless minutes at 23 points. As a last line of defense, Jesse “Ava Tarr” Fox successfully drew a track cut penalty on Ithaca’s jammer to give Ohio a power jam and a power start to follow. Two full-length jams brought the halftime score to 132-29.
Ohio’s unstoppable defense continued in the second half, holding Ithaca to a single point gain in the first 10 minutes; Blitz Lemon & Zee “Loraine Acid” Gulertekin had no problems gaining lead status. Jam 29 saw The Smacktivist running up the inside line for lead status, while Deb Crush failed to maneuver around team captain Bigg Rigg and picked up multiple penalties, allowing a 29-0 jam for Ohio. Sitting at a comfortable 194-30 lead, OHRD mixed up the jammer rotation with great success. Chainsaw spun around opposing blockers for lead status and 13 points, then brutal blocking by Lora “Outa My” Wayman & Kitty Liquorbottom allowed Bigg Rigg to lap the Ithaca jammer and push Ohio over the 200-point mark. Despite obtaining lead status in 3 out of the next 5 jams, Ithaca struggled to post points, as Zee “Loraine Acid” Gulertekin broke out of the pack on Rainbow Might’s heels and passed her with a huge hit that had the crowd roaring for more. Bigg Rigg posted a 24-0 jam as Jesse “Ava Tarr” Fox knocked Deb Crush out-of-bounds and drew her back nearly 50 feet. Chainsaw continued the rush, spinning around the front-most opposing players multiple times while Paige Bleed, Kitty Liquorbottom, KloverKill, and Stevie Brown shut down both Ithaca’s jammer and pivot. Burnadeath accepted a star pass during a power opportunity in jam 39, tacking another 8 points onto Blitz Lemon’s initial 5. Ithaca looked to take advantage of a power jam a few moments later, but KloverKill and Zee “Loraine Acid” Gulertekin teamed up to burn the penalty time and frustrate Rainbow Might. Lora “Outa My” Wayman boosted Ohio over 300 points while Zee “Loraine Acid” Gulertekin & Bigg Rigg distracted Ithaca’s pivot, and a power start to the final jam gave The Smacktivist a quick lead to put the icing on Ohio’s victory, 312-59.
MVPs for Ohio were The Smacktivist (jammer) and Stevie Brown (blocker).
Official jamming and scoring for Ohio were: The Smacktivist (11-12, 86 pts); Lora “Outa My” Wayman (5-10, 55 pts); Blitz Lemon (5-8, 43 pts); Chainsaw (3-3, 40 pts); Bigg Rigg (2-3, 38 pts); Zee “Loraine Acid” Gulertekin (6-8, 34 pts); Kitty Liquorbottom (0-2, 8 pts); and Burnadeath (0-1, 8 pts).
Official jamming and scoring for Ithaca were: Rainbow Might (7-16, 25 pts); Nora Morse (6-17, 24 pts); Manda Tori Chaos (0-5, 8 pts); Deb Crush (1-6, 2 pts); Bunny LeBoutski (0-2, 0 pts); and AKT*47 (0-1, 0 pts).
GANG GREEN TEARS THROUGH ITHACA BLUESTOCKINGS, 268-147
Although the second game of the night had a much narrower point spread than the first, Gang Green proved once again that OHRD’s skill and prowess does not rest solely on the skates of its charter team. Fielding 9 of their 14 skaters as jammers over the course of the night, the Ohio B-squad matched points with or outscored Ithaca’s Bluestockings in 82% of jams, and held the lead for all but 3 minutes of the game.
Playing offense from the first whistle, Quiet Storm opened a hole on the inside line for Paige Bleed, who quickly grabbed lead jammer status as Ithaca’s Machete and Meatballs picked up a track cut penalty. Karmabal Lectur added 12 points to Gang Green’s 15-10 lead while Amanda Adams muscled the opposing jammer out of bounds. Ithaca’s Rose Hips found herself unable to make use of a power jam opportunity, as Garden of Beatin’, Bruss Knuckles, Amanda Adams, & Betty T. KayO held her on her initial pass for 55 seconds. Ithaca chipped away at Gang Green’s lead over the next few jams with quick lead statuses and well-timed call offs, but rookie Lawless braced Amanda Adams & Garden of Beatin’ to hold them to minimal gains. Double penalties to the Ohio jammer in jam #8 allowed the New York team to post 10 uncontested points and grab a 36-28 lead with just over 17 minutes in the half. Gang Green answered full-force the following jam: Karmabal Lectur snapped up lead status and lapped Rose Hips before picking up a penalty, then Sarah Sexton & rookie Death CertifiKate teamed up to successfully draw a track cut penalty on the Ithaca jammer that released Karmabal Lectur from the box. With a little offensive assistance from Quiet Storm, the Gang Green jammer picked up a total of 17 points to push Ohio back into the lead, 45-41. Ithaca blockers failed to land big hits on Paige Bleed as she posted 16 uncontested points, and Gang Green blockers held the Bluestockings scoreless for 8 minutes while she and fellow veteran jammers Val Holla, Karmabal Lectur, and TactiGal picked up 9 lead jammer statuses in a row to add another 25 points. Ithaca scraped up 25 points of their own in the last 3 jams of the half, but not without serious interference from Betty T. KayO, who shut down an apex jump by Machete and Meatballs to prevent any scoring, and Val Holla, who distracted two opposing blockers at once to give Paige Bleed an easy pass.
Kicking off the second half with a 135-66 lead and a power jam in their favor, Gang Green held Ithaca to a 1-point gain in the first 5 minutes. TactiGal wedged her way through the Ithaca wall and took advantage of a full two-minute jam to grab 15 points before picking up a penalty; the resulting power start for Ithaca went unutilized, as Jagger was quickly waved off for a back block penalty and TactiGal passed the star to pivot Garden of Beatin’ for a 16 point gain. Karmabal Lectur took Gang Green over the 200 point threshold with a 9-0 jam; rookie jammer Bruss Knuckles took the line for the first time in jam 29, and was able to sprint through the pack to nab 5 more points. Machete and Meatballs was able to steal lead in jam 34, but Betty T. KayO, Lil Spitfire, and Death CertifiKate immediately reabsorbed her into the pack, allowing Garden of Beatin’ to run laps and sail around the pack untouched as she accumulated 28 points, Gang Green’s biggest scoring run of the night. A subsequent power jam gave Ithaca time to rack up 23 points, but not without punishing defense, including a devastating hit from Lil Spitfire that sent the jammer airborne. Ithaca tried to draw a track cut on Karmabal Lectur with just over 3 minutes on the clock, but failed as she sprinted up the outside for a 14-0 jam. In the final jam, Betty T. KayO took out the opposing jammer and joined efforts with Paige Bleed, Foxy Force, and Garden of Beatin’ to hold Ithaca to only a 2-point gain while Lil Spitfire stole lead and cemented a 268-147 win for Gang Green.
MVPs for Gang Green were Karmabal Lectur (jammer) and Quiet Storm (blocker). MVPs for Ithaca were Machete and Meatballs (jammer) and Riptide (blocker).
Unofficial jamming and scoring for Gang Green were: Karmabal Lectur (8-8, 78 pts); Paige Bleed (5-8, 63 pts); TactiGal (5-9, 49 pts); Garden of Beatin’ (0-3, 44 pts); Val Holla (2-4, 19 pts); Betty T. KayO (1-3, 5 pts); Bruss Knuckles (1-3, 5 pts); Lil Spitfire (1-1, 5 pts); and Sarah Sexton (0-1, 0 pts).
Unofficial jamming and scoring for Ithaca were: Machete and Meatballs (5-17, 60 pts); Jagger (3-14, 38 pts); Rose Hips (2-6, 20 pts); Riptide (0-2, 18 pts); Occupational Hazard (0-3, 6 pts); and LoLo Pawns (1-3, 5 pts).
Photos by: Matthew Hatcher
